Processing systems which expose workpieces such as, semiconductor wafers or other suitable substrates, to an overall treatment regimen for forming semiconductor devices or other devices can perform a plurality of treatment steps, such as plasma processing (e.g., strip, etch, etc.), thermal treatment (e.g. annealing), deposition (e.g., chemical vapor deposition), etc. To carry out these treatment steps, a system may include one or more robots to move workpieces a number of different times, for example, into the system, between various processing chambers, and out of the system. An important consideration in any semiconductor processing system is footprint size of the system. Increased footprint size can take up more space in processing facilities, leading to reduced throughput and increased costs.
Example configurations of processing systems for semiconductor workpieces can include cluster-style tools, carousel-style tools, etc. In cluster-style tools, a plurality of semiconductor processing modules can be arranged around a central robot for moving workpieces among the plurality of processing chambers. Cluster-style tools can have a large footprint (e.g., take up a large amount of space) and can only support a limited number of processing chambers. In carousel-style tools, workpieces can be rotated among a plurality of process stations. Carousel-style tools can suffer from reduced process integration flexibility and can be difficult to implement in conjunction with cluster configurations.